President's Cup

The groups eligible to apply for the OU President's Cup are as follows:

• Sororities - There will be 1 winner ($5,000) for chapters with 75 members and above and 1 winner ($5,000) for chapters with 74 members and below.
  
  
• Fraternities - There will be 1 winner ($5,000) for chapters with 75 members and above and 1 winner ($5,000) for chapters with 74 members and below. 
  
  From the Greek Chapter applications, there will be three Special Recognition Awards in each of the programming categories: Personal Development, Well-Being, and Community Impact.
  
  
• Residence Halls - There will be 1 winner ($3,500) and 1 runner-up ($1,500).

Applications are due by
11:59 p.m. on January 31, 2025:

APPLY ON ENGAGE

AWARD CRITERIA:

• Community Service
  • Recorded via GivePulse - Reports will be pulled by the Leadership & Volunteerism Office. This category will be judged based on the average number of community service hours per member, as well as the degree of impact.
     
• Programming Initiatives  
  
  • Each group will complete a form via Engage to describe their event (500 words maximum) that aligns with each of the programming categories – personal development, well-being, and community impact. 8-10 photos can also be uploaded to support the application content. 
     
• Grade Point Average
  • Reports will be pulled by Fraternity and Sorority Programs and Services and Residence Hall administrators to provide the group's average GPA. 
     
• Campus Leader List (Greek Chapters Only)
  • Chapters will upload an Excel spreadsheet with Column 1) the campus organization/group name; Column 2) the office held; and Column 3) the student name.
     

Community Service hours, programming initiatives, and GPAs that will be counted for the 2025 OU President's Cup must fall between the dates of February 1, 2024 - January 31, 2025.

Registered Student Organizations are not eligible for the President's Cup, however, we will be selecting up to 10 groups for $1000 awards based on their programming efforts in the three Student Affairs Strategic Plan Pillars: Personal Development; Well-Being; and Community Impact. Organizations will also include up to 10 photos to support their application.

DSOs (Big Event, AASA, BSA) and Governmental/Presidential groups (SGA, CAC, Crimson Club, PCS) are not eligible to win the $1000 award.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Personal Development is a student’s process of gaining awareness and understanding of who they are as individuals. Personal Development includes understanding who they are in terms of values, beliefs, and purpose as well as their social group identities. Demonstrating empathy and compassion, especially for those with very different backgrounds and experiences, is critical in all relationships. By exploring their sense of purpose, abilities, privileges, and intersecting identities, students can learn to develop self-efficacy and agency to positively change their own lives and impact their communities. Programming initiatives address the following outcomes:

• Articulate their identities.
• Demonstrate empathy and compassion in relationships.
• Describe how they can contribute to making positive change.
• Demonstrate the competencies needed for their professional development.

WELL-BEING
Well-Being is a student’s holistic understanding of wellness; including the emotional, mental, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of wellness. Well-Being is conscious, self-directed and evolving, positive, affirming, and inclusive. Students will be able to foster their own well-being as well as communities of well-being. Programming initiatives that address the following outcomes:

• Define personal well-being.
• Identify resources to support their well-being.
• Integrate wellness strategies into daily life.
• Foster communities of well-being.
   

COMMUNITY IMPACT
Community Impact includes a student’s awareness of issues impacting communities and the world as well as their capacity and desire to take action to make positive, sustainable change. Both components are critical to collaboratively solving our world’s most pressing problems. Programming initiatives that address the following outcomes:

• The impact of their actions on others.
• Identify issues facing communities.
• Collaborate effectively with others.
• Advocate for positive change in their communities.

Q: What counts as volunteer hours?
A: OU values and encourages others to give back to the community. Acts of service done freely outside of academic requirements or work count as volunteer hours. Eligible service does not include donating funds, political lobbying (non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity), religious instruction, conducting worship service, proselytizing, court-ordered community service, and serving only family members (source: President's Volunteer Service Award Program).

Q: What if I am part of a service organization? (The Big Event, Food Pantry, etc.)
A: Any direct service with community organizations or clients including service projects, day-of events, etc. can count toward the award. Meetings and administrative work do not count.

Q: Do camps/mission trips count?
A: Yes! Please only count the hours you were actively volunteering.

Any other questions? Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Vicky Bumgarner, at vicky@ou.edu.

2023-2024: Photos from the Awards Program

Winners:

• Headington Hall
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
• Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Inc.
• Chi Omega
• Pi Kappa Alpha

Runners-up

• Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, INC.
• Lambda Chi Alpha
• Residential Colleges
• Delta Delta Delta
• Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc.

Outstanding RSOs in Programming

• African Student Association
• International Advisory Committee
• Kesem at The University of Oklahoma
• Muslim Student Association
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers